Chicago Cubs' Kerry Wood Won't Be Ready For Opening Day Against The Diamondbacks

PHOENIX -- Kerry Wood may be ready to pitch the first week of the season but he will not be the Opening Day starter, Chicago Cubs manager Dusty Baker said Thursday.

Wood threw about 30 pitches off a mound on Wednesday and was feeling "outstanding," Baker said. But Wood, who took himself out of his start March 9 because of tightness in his right shoulder, was not expected to be ready for the April 4 opener at Arizona.

It would have been Wood's third consecutive Opening Day start.

"We're not going to rush him just to have him there the opening [series]," Baker said. "We're looking at the long haul, the whole season. I really highly doubt he'll be there in the opening [series], especially when we have an off day before we come back home [on April 8]. That gives him another day. Right now we're planning on him not being in the opening [series]."

The Cubs kick off the season April 4-6 against the Diamondbacks, have an off day April 7, and then open a six-game homestand against Milwaukee and San Diego on April 8.

Mark Prior is out of consideration for the Opening Day start because he's still rehabbing from inflammation in his right elbow that flared up after his start on March 10. That leaves the Cubs to chose either Greg Maddux or Carlos Zambrano, who both won 16 games last year, for the season opener. Baker would only say he'll name a starter "someday soon." Entire Article>>>

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posted by ADMIN @ Saturday, March 19, 2005